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A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)[1] is a member of the European Union's directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. MEPs are the European Union's equivalents of a country's national legislators, known in the United Kingdom as MPs, hence the term Euro-MP is used colloquially in English. For a list of the current members see Members of the European Parliament 2004-2009. The Treaty of Maastricht which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas, called pillars. ...
The European Community (EC), most important of two European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...
The Common Foreign and Security Policy or CFSP, german Gemeinsame Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik (GASP), was established as the second of the three pillars of the European Union in the Maastricht treaty of 1992, and further defined and broadened in the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997. ...
Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters is the third of the three pillars of the European Union, focusing on co-operation in law enforcement and combating racism. ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
François-Xavier Ortoli, Romano Prodi, José Manuel Barroso and Jacques Delors The President of the European Commission is notionally the highest ranking unelected official within the European Union bureaucracy. ...
This article needs to be updated. ...
The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009. ...
The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). ...
The European Council, informally called the European summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission. ...
Presidency of the Council of the European Union refers to the responsibility of presiding over all aspects of the Council of the European Union, when exercised collectively by a government, on a pre-established rota of the member states, of the European Union. ...
Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European...
The President of the European Parliament oversees all the activities of the European Parliament and its constituent bodies. ...
Josep Borrell Josep Borrell Fontelles (born April 24, 1947) is a Spanish politician. ...
In five European Union Member States (Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom), the national territory is divided into a number of constituencies for European elections. ...
Elections in the European Union gives information on election and election results in the European Union. ...
Elections to the European Parliament will be held in June 2006 in the then–27 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. ...
Elections to the European Parliament were held from June 10, 2004 to June 13, 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. ...
Party groups in the European Parliament combine the MEPs from European political parties, informal European political blocs, and independents. ...
The Standing Committees of the European Parliament are designed to aid the European Commission in initiating legislation. ...
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is formally known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities, i. ...
As of August 17, 2006: Categories: | | | ...
The Court of First Instance, created in 1989, is a court of the European Union. ...
European Union Civil Service Tribunal, since December 2, 2005 a new specialised tribunal within the European Union institutional framework. ...
The European Court of Auditors is one of five institutions of the European Union. ...
Headquarters Frankfurt, Germany Established 1 January 1998 President Jean-Claude Trichet Central Bank of Austria, Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain Currency Euro -ISO 4217 Code EUR Reserves >€4 billion Base borrowing rate 4. ...
The European Investment Bank (the Banque Européenne dInvestissement) is the European Unions financing institution and was established under the Treaty of Rome (1957) to provide loan finance for capital investment furthering European Union policy objectives, in particular regional development, Trans-European Networks of transport, telecommunications and energy...
The European Investment Fund, established in 1994, is a European Union agency for the provision of finance to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). ...
The European Unions Economic and Social Committee is the consultative assembly of European social and economic partners. This phrase refers mainly to representatives of business, employers and trade unions. ...
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an institution of the European Union created by the Treaty of Maastricht. ...
The agencies of the European Union (or decentralised bodies of the European Union) are bodies which are distinct from the European Unions institutions, in that they have not been created by the treaties but rather by acts of secondary legislation, in order to accomplish a very specific task. ...
The European Union is unique among international organisations in having a complex and highly developed system of internal law which has direct effect within the legal systems of its member states. ...
The French term acquis (or sometimes acquis communautaire) is used in European Union law to refer to the total body of EU law accumulated so far. ...
The European Union legislative procedure describes the way the European Union creates and enacts legislation across the community. ...
The treaties of the European Union are effectively its constitutional law, making up the EUs primary legislation. ...
A directive is a legislative act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. ...
A European Union decision (defined in Article 249/EC) is one of the three binding instruments provide by secondary EU legislation. ...
In European Union Law a recommendation Differs from regulations, directives and decisions, in that they are not binding for Member States. ...
The European Union is unique among international organisations in having a complex and highly developed system of internal law which has direct effect within the legal systems of its member states. ...
// Origins of the EU History of the European Union European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Euratom Single market. ...
In economics, a monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency among them. ...
The European Union (EU) was originally created by six founding states in 1958 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952), but has grown to its current size of 25 member states. ...
Foreign relations of the European Union Foreign relations of Austria Foreign relations of Belgium Foreign relations of Cyprus Foreign relations of the Czech Republic Foreign relations of Denmark Foreign relations of Estonia Foreign relations of Finland Foreign relations of France Foreign relations of Germany Foreign relations of Greece Foreign relations...
A European political party, formally a political party at European level, sometimes informally (especially in academic circles) a Europarty, is a type of political party organization operating transnationally in Europe. ...
The majority of major political parties in Europe have aligned themselves into the pan-European political organisations listed below. ...
The member-states of the European Union by the European party affiliations of their leaders, as of April, 2006. ...
Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...
This is a list giving breakdowns of the European Parliamentary session from 2004 to 2009. ...
When Parliament was first established, MEPs were appointed by member states in national delegations. Since 1979, however, MEPs have been elected by direct universal suffrage. Each country establishes their own way of electing their MEPs. This page refers to the year 1979. ...
Number of MEPs
In the first direct European Parliamentary elections in 1979, 410 members were elected from the then 9 member states. This number has grown steadily with subsequent EU enlargements. The Parliament elected in 2004 has 732 members, drawn from the Union's 25 member states on a basis roughly proportional to each country's population. It should be noted, however, that this is by no means precisely proportional; smaller member states have a proportionally greater representation than larger ones, and indeed this has been a source of significant criticism at various points in the EU's history (see one person, one vote). An election is a decision making process where people choose people to hold official offices. ...
This page refers to the year 1979. ...
The European Union (EU) was originally created by six founding states in 1958 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952), but has grown to its current size of 25 member states. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
OMOV, an acronym standing for one man, one vote or one member, one vote, is a term used to support wider and more equal participation in political systems. ...
The maximum figure of 732 was set by the Treaty of Nice and is now intended to remain steady even after future enlargements of the Union. When new member states accede to the EU and acquire representation in Parliament, the number of MEPs elected by the existing member states will be reduced proportionally so that the limit of 732 is not exceeded. Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice is a treaty adopted in Nice by the European Council to amend the two founding treaties of the European Union: the Treaty on European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, which introduced the Euro and the 3-pillar structure of the EU; the Treaty of...
However, this figure can be exceeded temporarily during periods immediately following the accession of new member states. For instance, the highest number of MEPs ever in the parliament was a temporary 788, when parliamentarians from ten new EU member states joined on May 1, 2004. This figure was then adjusted back down to 732 in the subsequent elections on 10-13 June 2004. Similarly, the number of MEPs will rise again temporarily with future enlargements, then be reduced proportionally at subsequent elections. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
MEPs within the Parliament Virtually all MEPs are members of cross-nationality political groups, organised according to political allegiance. For instance, the UK's Labour MEPs are members of the Group of the Party of European Socialists, and Conservative MEPs are members of the European People's Party - European Democrats. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ...
Logo of the Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists (PES) Parti Socialiste Européen (PSE) Sozialdemokratische Partei Europas (SPE) Partido socialista Europeo (PSE) is a European political party whose members are the social democratic, socialist and labour parties of the European Union member states as well as...
The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ...
The European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats is a group in the European Parliament. ...
However, there are considerable differences between this Group structure and most national parliaments' party structure. The rules of the Parliament state that "no member shall receive a binding mandate", and as a result, Group discipline is far laxer than most party political discipline, with national delegations and individual members sometimes voting against the Group 'line' on particular issues. Furthermore, the position taken by a Group on any given issue is determined by discussion within the Group, not handed down by the party leadership. Individual 'back-bench' MEPs do therefore have considerable influence over the development of policy within the Parliament.
Aside from Group politics, individual members are also guaranteed a number of other powers and rights within the Parliament:
- the right to table a motion for resolution;
- the right to put questions to the leaders of the Parliament, the European Council, the Council of Ministers and the Commission;
- the right to table an amendment to any text in committee;
- the right to make explanations of vote;
- the right to raise points of order;
- the right to move the inadmissibility of a matter.
The European Council, informally called the European summit, is a meeting of the heads of state or government of the European Union, and the President of the European Commission. ...
The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
An MEP's day job Being an MEP is a full-time job. One week in each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg, and much of the remaining three weeks by committee, Group, or full Parliament meetings in Brussels. City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Alsace Département Bas-Rhin (67) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) City Statistics Land area¹ 78. ...
Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area - City 162 (Region) km² (62. ...
On top of all this is the need to keep in touch with constituents at home. The problems of having to travel frequently between Parliament and constituency, familiar to most national MPs, are compounded in the case of MEPs because the distances are much larger. Parliamentary affairs leave only a couple of days each week for MEPs to spend time in their constituencies, during which time they must deal with individual constituents, local organisations, local and national politicians, businesses, trade unions, and so on. Because of these pressures, many MEPs have a substantial staff to help them to respond. A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...
Many MEPs choose to make their family home in Brussels rather than in their home country, to avoid family obligations competing with other pressures in the limited time that members are able to spend in their constituency. Nickname: The Capital Of Europe, Comic City City of a 100 Museums Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Coordinates: Country Belgium Region Brussels-Capital Region Founded 797 Founded (Region) June 18, 1989 Mayor (Municipality) Freddy Thielemans Area - City 162 (Region) km² (62. ...
Because MEPs sit in a Parliament with far fewer powers than national parliaments, their public profile in their home country is typically lower than that of national parliamentarians.
Immunities Under the protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union, MEPs in their home country receive the same immunities as their own national parliamentarians. In other member states, MEPs are immune from detention and from legal proceedings, except when caught in the act of committing an offence. This immunity may be waived by application to the European Parliament by the authorities of the country in question.
Salary MEPs are paid exactly the same salary as a member of the lower House of their own national parliament. As a result, there is a wide range of salaries in the European Parliament. In 2002, Italian MEPs earned €130,000, while Spanish MEPs earned barely a quarter of that at €32,000. [1]
Expenses Commentators in several member states (most notably Denmark, Sweden and the UK) have frequently accused MEPs of taking advantage of lucrative expense allowances for personal profit. Such criticisms typically centre on two areas: - the amount paid to MEPs as expenses; and
- the manner in which it is paid.
With regard to the amount paid, according to the Parliament's rules of procedure, MEPs receive allowances that are roughly equivalent to those paid to British MPs. As of 2002: A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...
- British MPs received an allowance for travel around their constituencies, but MEPs did not, despite the fact that their constituencies were much larger.
- British MPs were paid a lump sum of just under £19,500 for accommodation at seat of Parliament, regardless of the time they actually spent there. MEPs received £150 per day attended and were required to sign in to prove attendance.
- Both British MPs and MEPs were paid travel expenses for journeys from constituencies to Parliament. Contrary to widespread rumours, MEPs received 'YY economy class' air fares paid, not first class, plus an allowance per kilometre for the trip from their home to the airport. Only one journey was allowed per week.
- British MPs were given first class rail tickets for spouse and children to Westminster up to thirty times per year. MEPs had no such allowance.
- British MPs were given two return tickets per year to any EU parliament or the European Parliament itself. MEPs had no such allowance.
- British MPs received unlimited travel expenses around the UK on parliamentary business. MEPs were given a similar allowance, but this was limited to £2,170 per year, plus an extra allowance if they needed to return home midweek.
- British MPs and MEPs both received an office allowance. MEPs were paid 44% more than MPs, but this had to include postage and all equipment, whereas MPs also received unlimited free postage and free computers.
- British MPs and MEPs both had a staff allowance. MEPs received 30% more than MPs, but their staffs are typically larger, and this amount had to cover staff pensions, temporary replacements for illness, redundancy costs at end of mandate, staff travel, insurance, administration, and employer's liability. MPs had those provided for free on top of their allowance.
- At the end of their mandates, British MPs received four months of office allowances, while MEPs received three.
With regard to the manner in which it is paid, complaints are often raised about the fact that MEPs' flights to and from Brussels are paid at a flat rate, regardless of the expenditure actually incurred. The price paid is for economy travel, not first-class, but nevertheless this value often amounts to significantly more than the actual price of travel with one of the many budget airlines that serve Brussels.
Another area of concern is the fact that MEPs' accounts are currently audited on a spot-check basis, not a universal one. Feeling this to be insufficient, some members voluntarily submit their accounts for a full independent audit annually.
Reform of salary and expenses Parliament has repeatedly expressed a will to reform its salary and expenses package, most recently in a resolution adopted on 22 April 2004. However, because agreement is needed from both the Parliament and the Council of Ministers, resolution has so far proven impossible. Those countries whose MEPs would receive a pay increase as a result of salary harmonisation - notably Germany - have repeatedly vetoed these proposals in Council. [2] April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). ...
The arrangement by which each MEP receives the same salary as a member of his own national parliament was originally intended as a stop-gap measure while a unified rate was agreed. But this has become a serious sticking-point in the Parliament. By law, salaries should be harmonised so that all MEPs receive the same, but this has proved politically difficult. Any figure selected (for instance, the average of current rates) would mean a big cut for some and a big increase for others, which is hard to justify.
A recent proposal was to fix the salary at half that of a judge at the European Court of Justice. When this was first suggested two years ago, it was, on average, only a slight increase for MEPs; but the measure has not yet been agreed, and the pay rise would be much more substantial if it were implemented now. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is formally known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities, i. ...
A possible flat salary of € 90 000 has recently been proposed, but this was rejected.
Financial interests Members declare their financial interests, which are published annually in a register and available on the Internet.
Information about individual members
Members' experience Around a third of MEPs have previously held national parliamentary mandates, and over 10% have ministerial experience at a national level. Among the 177 MEPs with such experience elected in 1999 were six prime ministers and three former members of the European Commission. Many more MEPs have held office at a regional level in their home countries. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...
The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...
Current MEPs also include former judges, trade union leaders, media personalities, actors, soldiers, singers, athletes, and political activists.
Many outgoing MEPs move into other political office. A remarkably high proportion of European countries' recent heads of government have previously served in the Parliament.
Dual mandates -
The so-called "dual mandate", where an individual is a member of both his or her national parliament and the European Parliament, is officially discouraged and has been prohibited by a number of EU countries, most recently Italy. Despite this, a small and dwindling number of members do hold a dual mandate; for example, Baroness Ludford MEP and Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP (both UK Liberal Democrats who also sit in the House of Lords). Notably, Ian Paisley once held the "triple mandate" of MEP, MP (in the House of Commons), and MLA ("Member of Legislative Assembly" in the Northern Ireland Assembly) at the same time. To have a dual mandate is a term used for a person who has been elected to two different bodies with different competencies, for example being a member of both a national legislature, and of a local authority. ...
Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European...
Sarah Ann Ludford, Baroness Ludford (born 14 March 1951) is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. ...
Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 October 1941) is a British politician. ...
The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ...
This article is about the British House of Lords. ...
Ian Paisley may also refer to Ian Paisley, Jr. ...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...
The Northern Ireland Assembly is a home rule legislature established in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, but currently under suspension. ...
Gender balance Around a third of MEPs are women, a higher percentage than most national parliaments. This figure varies considerably among the various national delegations, however. Of UK members, for instance, approaching half of the Labour MEPs are female, compared to only about 8% of Conservative members. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ...
The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative & Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), and the largest in terms of public membership. ...
Length of service The European Parliament has a high turnover of members compared to some national parliaments. For instance, after the 2004 elections, the majority of elected members had not been members in the prior Parliamentary session. Only fourteen of them have served continuously since the first elections in 1979. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This page refers to the year 1979. ...
References - The European Parliament (fifth edition, 2003), by Richard Corbett, Francis Jacobs and Michael Shackleton.
- ^ Rule 1 in Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament
Note: this article concerns the contemporary MEP. For the 17th century poet, see Richard Corbett (poet). ...
See also - Category:Members of the European Parliament
External links - The election of the Members of the European Parliament European NAvigator
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